Tracy Fullerton’s The Structure of Games discusses the differences between video games and other forms of media, along with what defines a game. Throughout the narrative piece, Tracy discusses the defining factor between a game and another form of media is that in a game, the player is participating within the game and has influence under the game’s outcome in some way. What makes video games so fun and enticing is player freedom and the ability to influence the game directly as an active participant. Within the chapter, Fullerton describes “With media, characters still have objectives, but the viewer does not. With games, the player does have specific objectives. Along with player involvement and objectives…”. The whole essence of a game is the interactivity between the player and the piece of media itself. Examples of this could include the dialogue wheel from “Mass Effect”, the Wikipedia-like dialogue between characters in “The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind”. Various games implement a multiple ending route via branching paths like “Bioshock” or “Shadow the Hedgehog”.

Other avenues of player interactivity usually stems in some karma system like “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” or “inFamous” where the players actions towards various NPCs, quests, and the world around them influence their public perception and determine their alignment throughout the game. Some actions might just be an aesthetic change like the ability to create a custom character such as in “Soul Calibur 6” and “Saints Row the Third”. Even extremely linear games like “Half-Life 2” or “Portal” allow player interaction through the lack of cutscenes, making it so the player is never pulled from the experience.

“Mordhau” is a fine example of how gameplay itself could immerse the viewer in the experience. Throughout the game, the player controls one soldier of many fighting over various objectives. There is no story, only multiplayer, but where the game shines is its combat, an entirely physics based system that determines the player’s swing by moving their mouse in the attack direction, timing their blocks with their enemy’s swing, parries, reposting, and even thrusting your weapon forward by scrolling up on the mousewheel or scrolling down to perform an overhead strike. Every action the player does that is mouse related has some effect on their combat, leaving the player to become immersed in the game by basic mouse interaction.